The Indian national cricket team are generally known for performing well across formats, accomplishing notable victories in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Moreover, they have also been incredibly consistent in the marquee tournaments but they haven’t been able to break the shackles and perform well in clutch moments, especially in the semi-finals and finals of the competition.
Team India surrendered at the hands of Australia in the finals of the 2003 and 2023 ODI World Cups. The Men in Blue lacked the killer instinct and the decisive strategy to pull off the barrage of tricks to inflict damage on the opposition in the big moments. As a result, they were unable to accomplish desirable results.
Case in point, we will now take a glimpse at the list of Indians who won the Player of the Tournament award in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup history.
1. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar’s batting approach is often described as a masterclass in terms of technique, precision, and adaptability and every fan in the world would pay to watch him play. He is known for his ability to play a wide range of shots all around the park, a trait that followed him around like a shadow.
It is worth mentioning here that he was the leading run-scorer in the ICC ODI World Cup 2003. Sachin Tendulkar scored 673 runs in the tournament and was named the Man of the Tournament. Unfortunately, the Indian batting maestro ended up on the losing side as India lost to Australia in the final.
Also Read:
- 3 Cricketers who completed 1000 Runs in last two ICC ODI World Cups
- Player of the Tournament who did not win the World Cup
2. Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh was an exceptional match-winner for the Indian cricket team in white-ball cricket and the Indian cricket team immensely benefitted from his all-round services in big tournaments. He has often turned up with the bat and ball, chipping in with pivotal contributions to the team through and through.
It is worth noting that he was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for his world-class services to the team in the 2011 edition of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup. He scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets to his name. Notably, India beat Sri Lanka in the final to win the third ODI World Cup.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is widely acknowledged as one of the modern era’s finest batters, known for his exceptional batting technique, run-scoring potential, and consistency across formats. Rightly so, he is the best all-format batsman in the current era and has 50 centuries in ODI cricket, most by a batsman.
Notably, he was named the Player of the Tournament in the 2023 edition of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 tournament. The right-handed batsman mustered 711 runs as a batsman and finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer and holds the record for scoring the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup.
